


It's all Fun and Games until Someone Gets Hurt

by TigStripe



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: M/M, Secret Relationship, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-02
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-10-21 06:39:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17637707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TigStripe/pseuds/TigStripe
Summary: When Barry tries to tell Team Flash he's been dating Oliver Queen, they don't believe him. Oliver takes the opportunity to have a little fun with them, until a nasty team up leaves Barry in critical condition.





	It's all Fun and Games until Someone Gets Hurt

It happened in a blur, and neither Oliver nor Barry had been this happy in ages.

There was a team up on a meta attack in Star City that resulted in yet another relaxing talk at a bar between the emerald archer and the scarlet speedster. This time, however, when Barry offered a hug, Oliver took it. Oliver had been mulling over a lot in his head over the past few months, and when Barry moved in for the embrace, Oliver realized that the moment was _right._

“Can I take you out?” It was such a simple question, but the tightness in Oliver’s chest told the truth of how difficult it had been to ask.

Barry froze, every muscle in his body tense. His eyes were wide with shock. “What do you mean?”

“To dinner.”

“Like a date?” A smile graced Barry’s lips, his eyes locked onto Oliver’s with no small amount of hope.

Oliver smiled back and he opened his arms in invitation. “Like a date.”

There was no hesitation in Barry’s answer. He hugged Oliver tight, a grin stretching his cheeks. The tightness in Oliver’s chest dispersed, his shoulders unburdened. They held on for far too long. They could feel one another’s heartbeat in that moment, both racing. Breaching the idea of becoming more than just friends, they decided to tackle a new challenge together: a romantic dinner.

Dinner had gone over well enough, although duty called halfway through. Content with how natural it felt to be able to walk away from a romantic outing without giving an explanation, they continued seeing one another, and soon enough considered themselves to be dating in earnest.

Oliver, being Oliver, didn’t see the point in talking about it with most anyone, although his cohorts in Star City caught on quickly. It didn’t take long for Team Arrow to notice the subtle smile on Oliver’s face when he would contact Barry for whatever reason - or even if there was no reason at all. They saw the way the two looked at each other when they would relax after a team up. Even when Barry wasn’t around, Oliver felt more optimistic. He smiled more. He listened to his team more closely. He even let René call the shots a few times.

Felicity and Diggle, knowing his history with Tommy, were supportive, while most everyone else was confused. They’d had no reason to suspect Oliver would be into men, given his public history as a rich playboy. The newer members of the team were much quieter in their questioning of the situation. This was fine with Oliver - it was _his_ business, after all.

Barry, however, could scarcely keep his secret for more than a few dates. He blurted it out one afternoon at STAR Labs, but the reception he received could only be described as suspect.

Cisco, especially, had a hard time grasping the message. “What? That can’t be right. Oliver’s not into dudes, is he?”

“Is it _that_ hard to believe?” Barry asked. Everyone in the room seemed uncertain, unwilling to give their honest answers.

Barry pulled up photos on his phone of the two of them together, but they didn’t seem to help convince his friends. “Those are photoshopped” and “That isn’t funny, Barry” seemed to be the primary reactions.

Caitlin was a little more supportive, but still suspicious. “I’m don’t _not_ believe you, Barry, it just seems so...unlikely.” The words stung a little harder than he was sure she intended.

Iris gave him a thorough gaze. Surely, out of everyone, she’d be able to tell he wasn’t lying. Her response, however, was less enthusiastic: “There is _no_ way Oliver Queen likes men. I have great gaydar, Barry, and neither of you trip it.”

Barry just sighed at that.

That night, Oliver received a phone call from Barry, who complained that his team wouldn’t believe him. His response made Barry laugh: “Well then, we’ll just have secret rendezvous and date behind everyone’s back.”

And thus, the fun began. During team ups, the two would disappear to sit alone together, just basking in being in one another’s presence. Whenever it came to patching up wounds, they preferred to go off by themselves. Barry would even spend the night at Oliver’s apartment sometimes, leaving Iris or Cisco a brief voicemail about hanging out with Team Arrow.

It sounded like he was okay, but Team Flash worried over the frequency at which he was staying behind after team ups ended. Why was Barry taking so long to get back from Star City _this_ time? Didn’t he dash to Star City _yesterday_ during his lunch break? Why wasn’t he inviting anyone else to tag along? Team Arrow and Team Flash were friends, after all.

The runaround the duo played with Barry’s team continued for months. Team Arrow was under strict instructions _not_ to tell anyone from Team Flash the truth. Barry and Felicity agreed: they wanted to see how long it took the brainiacs at STAR Labs to figure out what was really going on.

At long last, the game was forced to end.

Oliver joined Barry in Central City one evening for a match of “Catch the Meta,” but Barry sustained a terrible blow to the chest and stomach, knocking him unconscious. As Killer Frost had been helping the heroes, Caitlin was on the scene to examine him as soon as the metahuman was detained.

“I think his lungs are collapsed,” Caitlin gasped.

Iris, back in the Cortex, piped up over comms. “His vitals are all over the place. Get him back here, quick!”

One short breach later, Vibe, Killer Frost, and the Green Arrow appeared in Caitlin’s med lab, Oliver carrying Barry’s limp form. He gently placed him on a bed and helped Caitlin get him out of the suit. His entire frontside was bruised from the collision during combat, already turning a deep purple as his body healed. Caitlin used an ultrasound to view his internal organs and bone structure. Almost every rib had been fractured, a few of them severely. Further examination showed Caitlin’s guess to be correct: his left lung had collapsed. Luckily, no other internal damage seemed to have occurred.

“We need to immobilize his torso, because those bones are out of alignment and he’s already trying to heal,” Caitlin said. Oliver nodded, jumping into action. He dashed around the lab, grabbing a variety of sturdy-looking objects while Cisco snagged a large amount of medical tape. They strapped Barry’s torso tightly, with Caitlin making sure his ribs were positioned correctly before finishing the taping process.

A few minutes later, the team stood around an immobilized, unconscious Barry, each silently hoping or praying for a proper recovery. Oliver stood at his bedside, his hand clutching Barry’s tightly. The archer’s eyes never left Barry’s face, even when Caitlin declared the situation stable.

Iris gazed at Oliver’s face, taking in the worry lines on his forehead and the creases around his mouth. His lips were a thin line, and his jaw was set tight. His eyes were focused, but distant. It was a sad epiphany on her part: he was acting like a husband at his partner’s hospital bed. Her heart heavy, she found a stool and moved it up behind him.

It was the first time Oliver had taken his eyes off of Barry when he glanced down at the chair, then up at Iris. She smiled in her offer of a place to rest, but said nothing. He nodded his silent thanks and took a seat, never loosening his grip on the unconscious man’s hand.

Near the edge of the room, Cisco watched with his arms crossed. Iris approached him, concern in her eyes. “It looks like Barry was telling the truth.”

Cisco didn’t say anything, but he nodded, his gaze set firm on Oliver. “I’m okay with it. Oliver’s a good dude.”

Iris smiled as she turned to look back at Oliver’s hand on Barry’s. He’d removed his gloves, preferring to feel Barry’s skin on his.

“Oliver,” Caitlin offered quietly, “if you’d like to change out of your suit, we’ll watch him.”

Oliver’s voice caught in his throat, his eyes locked on Barry. “No, thank you.”

Caitlin started to usher Iris and Cisco out of the room to give the two space, but a grunt from the bed caught their attention.

Barry coughed, a slight wheeze to his breathing. Oliver was on his feet instantly, both hands squeezing on Barry’s. There was a pregnant moment of silence as the four of them waited to see what Barry would do. His eyes fluttered open, but he winced when he tried to move.

“Don’t move,” Oliver said. “We had to splint you up. You got hit pretty hard.”

“Where?” Barry’s voice was weak. His difficulty breathing was unexpected.

“STAR Labs.” A hand went up and stroked Barry’s hair. This seemed to relax him, as he closed his eyes and a smile drifted across his face. “You’re okay. Pretty banged up, but Caitlin says you’ll be fine.”

“Sorry.”

Oliver sat back down on the stool behind him. “Shh. You have nothing to apologize for. We got the meta, and you’re safe now. That’s all that matters.” Iris saw the smile on his face. It was _gentle,_ a kind of softness she’d never expected to see from Oliver Queen.

Barry smiled up at Oliver, who leaned forward and kissed his forehead. Barry’s eyes closed gently, and he drifted into a light slumber. Caitlin moved forward and started a morphine drip to help him sleep. “All estimations show he should be up and walking by tomorrow morning, and up to normal speed by the day after.” When Oliver gave her a stunned look, she shrugged. “When he says he heals fast, he isn’t kidding.”

Iris stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on Oliver’s shoulder. “We’ll set up a place for you to lie down, in case you get tired, okay?”

Oliver gave her a tiny, grateful smile. “Thank you.”

“Of course.”

Iris, Cisco, and Caitlin left the room, giving them lingering looks as they exited. Oliver was a statue, a gargoyle defending Barry’s sleeping form. There was little chance he would leave his bedside all night. Iris couldn’t help but smile; it had been a long time since Barry had someone to look after him so thoroughly. In spite of her feelings toward Oliver as the Green Arrow, Iris knew Barry had chosen the right person to look after him now. And after that night, she was far more likely to believe him when he said outrageous things.

Like Barry dating Oliver Queen.

She shook her head and grinned. What kind of world did they live in, anyway?


End file.
